Kidney Stone Machine Available Soon

July 11, 1985|By Laura Farrell, Staff writer

Fort Lauderdale is now one of 11 cities in the United States to house a $1.7 million kidney stone disintegration machine.

Called a lithotripter, the machine uses X-rays and sound waves to find and crush stones. It is owned by South Florida urologists and kept at the North Broward Hospital District building. The eighth floor of the building has been christened the Kidney Stone Center of South Florida.

Kidney stone patients previously had to travel to Gainesville or Houston for treatment.

The procedure eliminates the need for surgery to remove stones, said public relations representative Louise Maple. The Food and Drug Administration approved its use in December, citing a 98 percent success rate.

The machine will be operational beginning Tuesday, Maple said.

The Kidney Stone Center of South Florida will have an open house Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. on the eighth floor of the North Broward Hospital District building, 1625 SE Third Ave.